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VIDEO: What has Becks signed up for PSG show their star quality in rout of Toulouse as Ibrahimovic backs former England captian to deliver in Paris

By
Sami Mokbel

PUBLISHED:

22:19 GMT, 1 February 2013

|

UPDATED:

08:08 GMT, 2 February 2013

New signing David Beckham may
struggle to win a place in the Paris St Germain team on the evidence of
their 4-0 demolition of mid-table Toulouse on Friday.

The Ligue 1 leaders, who signed
free-agent Beckham on Thursday, were without the former Real Madrid and Manchester United midfielder
as he had returned to England for extra training in a bid to sharpen his
fitness.

Beckham has been without a club since winning the Major League Soccer title with Los Angeles Galaxy in December.

VIDEO: Scroll down to watch highlights of PSG's win over Toulouse

Clinical: PSG defender Mamadou Sakho heads home

Sales pitch: But a Beckham shirt will cost you an eye-watering 100 on PSG website

He is due to begin training at PSG on February 13.

Carlo Ancelotti's PSG moved three points clear at the top of the table thanks to Javier Pastore, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with his 20th goal on his 20th league appearance for the club, Mamadou Sakho and Gregory van der Wiel.

Brazil striker Lucas, another recent recruit, produced a fine performance and set up two of the goals.

Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic has leapt to defence of David Beckham's after his new team-mate was called a 'third-hand Rolls-Royce'.

The 37-year-old has signed a five-month deal with Paris Saint-Germain, but his capture has not caused as much glee as you would expect, despite the former England captain pledging his 170,000-per-week wages to a Paris children's charity.

It is claimed Beckham will still receive a hefty image rights fee, and PSG are said to be paying for his accommodation and security in the capital. And his arrival in France was not particularly well received by the Parisian press yesterday.

Top man: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (R) celebrates after scoring

Impressed: PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti

Newspaper Le Figaro read: 'A special status can feed jealousy. In a dressing room where the offensive egos of players are struggling to live, the arrival of a third-hand Rolls-Royce, which becomes the main focus of media fascination, risks causing envy, while feeding a climate of discord.'

The paper also suggests players will be 'annoyed' by Becks and wife Victoria appearing in glossy magazines, but new teammate Ibrahimovic insists the global icon still has plenty to offer on the pitch.

He said: 'For a striker playing with somebody like David is a dream. He is the best deliverer of the ball in the world, still.

'If you make the good runs, you know he will find you. I am sure we will create something very special. David said that when he left the US, he had more offers than at any point in his career. The fact that he chose PSG says a lot about the project we have here.

'It is no longer just the big teams from Italy, Spain and England the top players want to come to – it is now us as well. It is excellent news for us that David is permitted to play in Europe. He still has so much to offer at that level, and his experience with Manchester United and Real Madrid will be vital.

'I am sure David wants to win the Champions League again before he retires.'

Joey Barton helped Marseille to a 2-1 win against Bastia last night – but there was no-one in the stands to see it.

Bastia were forced to play the match behind closed doors after their clash with Ajaccio in October descended into chaos.

The Corsican derby was stopped for five minutes after fans of both teams started fighting and threw fireworks following a mass brawl on the pitch.

Helping hand: Joey Barton's Marseille beat Bastia to continue to keep in touch with the league leaders

Mathieu Valbuena deservedly put Marseille ahead with a
superb volley from just inside the box in the 15th minute.

Andre Ayew doubled the lead from the penalty spot on 70
minutes after goalkeeper Landry Bonnefoi had fouled his younger brother Jordan.

Empty: Bastia were forced to play behind closed doors after trouble in their match with Ajaccio

Locked out: Fans were forced to watch the match on a big screen outside the ground

Anthony Modeste scored a late goal but Bastia did not go on
to worry the visitors, who clinched their sixth away league win and also
welcomed back striker Andre-Pierre Gignac six weeks after he suffered a broken
foot.

Barton later tweeted: 'Great 3 points on that farmers field. No fans in the stadium but loads outside throwing fireworks. Freezing cold showers as well.'

Marseille are third in Ligue One, level on points with Paris Saint-Germain.

Taking aim: Wahbi Khazri of Bastia (left) lines up a shot during his side's defeat